GPS tracking powered by InstaMapper.com

Saturday 3 September 2011

Day 33: Saturday 3rd September. Altheim to Linz



As usual in beds now it would seem I wake up about 5 and can't get back to sleep. I stay in bed for an hour and then start to do my packing. About 7 I go downstairs to see if anyone is around and Friedrich is in the kitchen preparing breakfast. Lovely dense brown bread and cheese ham and salad with a chutney marmalade on the side. Lots of Kaffee and the afore mentioned food later and I'm yet again stuffed. The family insist I take some with me and so sandwiches and fruit are lunched up. Poor old Heinz gets woken by his mum not long after I get up and he has only had 5 hours sleep but insists on riding with me for 10km. Heinz is probably the fittest person I've ever met. He used to run and compete at cycling races and when he told me about the 24 hr endurance race he did covering 720km at an average speed of 30kph and being upset at coming 6th because he had one break of 20 minutes, my mind just couldn't take in how it was possible and I almost fell asleep on the spot as my head gave up and my body followed. Not only am I packed off with food but a beer is sent my way as they have no need for it. I had mentioned earlier to Heinz that I had covetously spied his arm warmers and asked where I could by some as it was getting cold. As we left to go, Heinrich's dad appeared and asked if these were any good to me, presenting me with his old ones. I tried them on for size and they were perfect. When it was seen that they fit they were immediately dispatched to mum to sew up a small hole in them. Yet again my zehr guts and vielen danke's do not properly express my gratitude.
When we leave its still very foggy. The fog comes from the river Inn and is quite atmospheric as we wind our way along the cyclelpath to the main road. We go up a fairly easy hill. Heinz could do it backwards with one foot, I'm gasping for breath as we reach the top and take in the view of the alps from the vantage point. A board points out the names of the various peaks. Heinz points to the one he climbed last week! We say goodbye, hopefully I will be back again. I feel bad about not being able to stay for longer and enjoy his Austrian hospitality. Off I go in the direction of Reid where I could have gone last night. Just before Ried the chain falls off. In worrying about tightening the thing too much and breaking the bottom bracket, it has not been tightened enough. Back to square one. By an incredible stroke of luck not only in these parts but on a Saturday, I am literally outside a car mechanic that is actaully open. I march in, explain the problem and in seconds am furnished with a simple wrench that does the job in seconds. Probably not the best tool to use all the time but will do for now. I am wished good luck by the mechanics as has been the way by so many I have met along the way, and I reply the same I replied to everyonme else. Thanks, I will need it.
The rest of the day is fairly uneventful. In Reid I ask some people in a bar if the guy in the uniform with a gun is a Policeman just so I know should I be confronted with one for any reason. He is.
A mcwifi presents itself and I check my mail and put in a few warmshower request for along the route to Vienna. Vienna would be the handiest as it's a big city, but still no luck. I leave the town of Haag crossing off another in the book and on the stroke of 12 not only the church bells sound but some sort of siren, probably for a factory. It's so loud and scary I go up a kerb and because I can't get my foot out out my pedals quick enough I fall into a bush in slow motion. Only pride hurt and I look around to see if anybody has seen me, but my comedy cycling has no audience. Nothing much else happens for the rest of the day. It's the same road all the way to Weil and then lots of concrete to Linz where I get lost looking for the Danau path and bump into some pole walkers. They guide back the way I have came to my missed turn and say I should stay in Linz tonight as there is a festival in town. Yet again I have to decline to make up the miles and head down stream towards Vienna (Wien). After about 15km I find a good spot and have a swim and put up the tent out of site in the trees but poking out just enough to see the water. It's a beautiful night and the Danube is lit up by the setting sun as waterskiers and motorboats start to head home as I am left alone to cook my dinner.




No comments:

Post a Comment